Design Your Perfect Bedroom

We spend a third of our lives sleeping. So it’s highly likely we spend more time in the bedroom than any other room. You really want to pay attention to bedroom design and making your bedroom suite comfortable and relaxing. But, unlike the rest of your home, which is decorated to be aesthetically pleasing in your waking hours, your bedroom design needs a slightly different approach.

What is the best bedroom design?

Here are a few bedroom ideas to consider when decorating your bedroom:

1. It should seem obvious, but the most important place to start with decorating your bedroom is, well, your bed! This is more a practical design issue. What size bed will work in your bedroom? What are you and your partner’s preferences for the type of bed you’re after? This should be a foremost consideration ahead of planning your bedroom furniture around the space and layout available.
2. Relaxation is the most important focus. Choose calm, muted colours for the walls. And don’t forget the ceiling. That’s the ‘wall’ you stare up at. Consider a slightly lighter theme colour to give a sense of cosy intimacy.
3. In addition to your main bedroom light, have softer lighting next to your bed.
4. Everyone has different tastes in furniture design. Some like a classic look. Others prefer simple minimalism. Regardless, choose materials and fabrics for your bedstead, side tables and headboard, that invite you to relax and unwind.
5. Try to keep as little clutter about your bedroom as possible. Bedrooms can be contained spaces, so you want to make the most out of the storage space available. Choose a bed that has smart stowing options.
6. Create a quiet nook. If you have the space, a comfortable lounging chair in a corner, or near a window, can be used for reading or simply calming your thoughts before sleep.
7. It feels snug to watch TV in bed while shoveling through a bowl of popcorn. However, this isn’t the best activity for your important sleep cycle. It is best to keep electronic entertainment to living areas.
8. Cover your windows with curtains or blinds so that you have a sense of privacy. Block out early sunrises. These should also be muted tones of fabric and materials that contribute to a peaceful ambience.
9. Go for quality bed linen. Look forward every evening to sliding in between crisp, high thread count sheets. Natural fibres like cotton have a soothing, sleep-inducing effect.
10. A bedroom floor doesn’t have to be carpeted, but certainly consider rugs next to either side of the bed, and at the bedroom door entrance. Try to keep the sound of floor boards or tiled floors as dampened as possible.

Where should I place my bed?

1. Position your bed where there is good air flow. A cooler sleeping environment is preferable for breathing and body temperature, even in winter.
2. There might be a few options in a larger bedroom for you to place your bed. You could face an amazing window view. Or perhaps you prefer to be out of the morning glare. Shift your bed according to the best ambience and energy that you and your partner prefer.
3. For a greater sense of security and privacy, your bedroom door should, preferably, not open straight onto your bed. At the same time, you may still want to see the bedroom door from your sleeping position. Or you might find it least intrusive to place the head of your bed against the same wall as the door. Intuitively, you should place your bed where it feels calmer and more restful.
4. Space and layout permitting, some even prefer what is called a ‘bed island’, placing the bed in the middle of the bedroom. This makes the bed the firm focus of the room as your sleep chamber.
5. Generally, the architecture of a bedroom allows for a main wall where there is easy access around the bed, including bedside tables to either side. A sense of spaciousness with intimacy is ideally what you want to aim for.

Where can I find the perfect bed?

For over 25 years, Dial•a•Bed has been making the very best of South African bedrooms. Apart from your all-important support and comfort, Dial•a•Bed offers the largest range of branded beds with solutions to suit every bedroom layout. Your sleep chamber is the most important lifestyle room in the house. This is where you rest, recuperate and make the best of the next day’s waking opportunities and challenges. Start planning your best bedroom at your nearest Dial•a•Bed store or online at www.dialabed.co.za. #SleepForLife!